The Venezuelan National Institute of Hygiene reported on Thursday 20 new cases of A/H1N1 flu, bringing the country's total infections to 172.

According to the Bolivarian News Agency (ABN), Venezuelan Collective Health Networks Vice Minister Nancy Perez said that health authorities have in all tested 1,274 samples. Apart from the 172 confirmed cases, 1,050 samples tested negative and 52 are still being tested.

Perez said that 50 percent of the confirmed cases involved people who traveled to the United States, Panama and other tourist destinations with flu outbreaks.

The majority of the cases in Venezuela were reported from the states of Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo and the Capital district.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2009)